MAY 20, 2026
PHOENIX, AZ (May 20, 2026) – Fresh Start Women’s Foundation announced the promotion of Patti O’Brien to Chief Impact Officer, recognizing her leadership in transforming the organization’s client experience, strengthening cross-functional collaboration, streamlining processes, and increasing capacity to advance its mission of empowering women on their pathto self-sufficiency.
In this role, O’Brien will lead the organization’s impact strategy, aligning programs, client experience, data, and marketing to ensure measurable outcomes for Fresh Start’s clients and stakeholders. As Chief Impact Officer, she will continue to drive collaboration across departments, embed impact into organizational practices, and expand innovative approaches to enhance service delivery and support women’s long-term economic mobility and sustainability.
O’Brien joined Fresh Start in 2022 as Chief Marketing Officer and quickly expanded her leadership to include client experience and oversight of multiple programmatic areas. Over the past three years, she has played a pivotal role in aligning marketing, outreach, and programs to create a more connected and impactful experience for women motivated to change their lives. Her leadership has improved access to Fresh Start services, enhanced the organization’s ability to track and measure outcomes, and advanced systems for increased scale and impact.
“Patti’s leadership has fundamentally transformed how we serve women at Fresh Start,” said Kim McWaters, President and CEO of Fresh Start Women’s Foundation. “She has built systems focused on our clients’ journeys, equipping our teams with the data to inform strategy, enhance experiences, and improve outcomes. Patti’s promotion reflects the impact she has already made and the critical role she will continue to play in shaping our future.”
Among her key accomplishments, O’Brien led a comprehensive, organization-wide client experience transformation—creating a unified, client-centered approach across all programs and services. She spearheaded the design and implementation of a full-scale customer relationship management (CRM) system, streamlining operations, improving service delivery, and providing real-time data and insight into client engagement and outcomes. These innovations have increased organizational capacity, strengthened cross-team collaboration, and enhanced both the client and staff experience.
A seasoned executive with experience spanning marketing, workforce development, and operations, O’Brien previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Head of Corporate Engagement at Maricopa Corporate College. Her background in building high-performing teams and developing workforce solutions continues to inform her leadership at Fresh Start and benefit clients and stakeholders.
“I’m honored to step into this role at such an important time for Fresh Start,” said O’Brien. “The work we’ve done to strengthen the client experience and align our programs is just the beginning. I’m excited to build on that foundation—collaborating across teams to deepen outcomes, expand community impact, and ensure every woman we serve has access to the tools, support, and opportunities she needs to thrive.”
Fresh Start’s mission is to provide access and resources that help women achieve self-sufficiency and use their strength to thrive. Our ultimate vision is to create unlimited opportunities for women. For over three decades, Fresh Start has supported more than 65,000 Arizona women, serving approximately 5,000 women each year who are 18 years and older. 60% are single mothers, 67% make an annual income less than $25k, and 72% are domestic violence survivors. These women face a variety of barriers hindering their ability to be personally or financially self-sufficient, including generational poverty and unemployment. Fresh Start offers focused programs, services, access to training and education, as well as employment and career services to help women reach their personal and professional goals through our signature Impact Program. For more information, visit freshstartwomen.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.